EPA Identifies Two Contaminants Found On Flathead Lake Shoreline

The Environmental Protection Agency says it has detected elevated levels of volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds in samples taken from the oily sheen on the shoreline of Flathead Lake near Somers.

Nicky Ouellet

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EPA Identifies Two Contaminants Found On Flathead Lake Shoreline

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified two compounds in the mysterious oily sheen detected along the shoreline of Flathead Lake near Somers earlier this month.

The exact origin of those compounds remains unclear, but today, the EPA said its latest analysis detected elevated levels of naphthalene and acenaphthene. Those two compounds could be associated with chemical wood treatments used at the former Somers Tie Plant, which treated railway ties with creosote and other chemicals for several decades before being listed as a Superfund site in the mid-1980s.

"While there is no indication of widespread contamination along the shoreline or in the lake that would represent a public health risk, these findings underscore the importance of ongoing efforts at the site," says Katherine Jenkins, a spokesperson for the EPA.

The EPA says it and the state Department of Environmental Quality will continue to work with BNSF to assess the area, including a feasibility study to evaluate cleanup needs for the site. That study is expected early next year.

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The Environmental Protection Agency says it has detected low levels of volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds in samples taken from the oily sheen on the shoreline of Flathead Lake near Somers.

BNSF Railway says that, as a precautionary measure, it has removed material from the shore of Flathead Lake near Somers that has a mysterious, oily sheen. The company thinks the sheen's origin is biological, not man-made.

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